Organic by John Patrick Spring 2014: Chic Flats and Slip Dresses with a Train

“This collection is all about freedom,” John Patrick of Organic said backstage at his spring show this morning. Freedom from preconceived restraint (e.g. putting a long train on one of his signature slip dresses. “Why not?”) and the freedom that a chic, flat shoe bestows. The shoe in question: a sandal from the Spanish company Ria Menorca (worn by the country’s king, spotted a few months back by Patrick and his partner, Walter Fleming, on “a beautiful family” outside a Manhattan movie theater. The two had just come out of showing of **Michelangelo Antonioni’**s L’Avventura, which also had a bit of influence on the collection. Just a tad; “I wasn’t watching Nick at Nite!” Patrick laughed. So no super-obvious early-60s references (though there is a navy silk-wool full skirt topped off by a shirt and pullover, it’s more modern).

Everything in the line exudes Organic’s usual ease. Fine-gauge pullovers—because “who wants to wear a sweater in the spring?”—airy, little dresses in silk and cotton-voile in a palette of dusky blues and pinks, white, navy, and black. There were some genius trousers, too, with an adjustable waistband so you can choose how loosely to wear them on a whim. They’ll “take you from lunch to the beach to somewhere really fun,” Patrick said. “Like on a deck!”